To day on my ride to work i encountered a very short light, while being on a bike it is difficult to make it across in the prescribed time and more so difficult riding the recumbent bike. I made it across OK, but a gentleman turning left was kind enough to allow me safe passage that was until he pulled up next to me window rolled down and began verbally degrading asking if i knew what a red light was. Of course i do i do drive a car but i choose to ride a bike to work because i enjoy it, and other economic and environmental reasons. I continued on an ignored the jerk and made it to work safely.
What dives a person into a verbal conflict when he could have just let me be. Did he feel because he was in his armored cocoon he had the right to tell me how to share the road. For those that ride a bike you learn that many people in cars disregard sharing the road and near run-over biker as if biker are inconveniencing a person a whole 30 sec to slow down a pass around safely (That is if they are considerate enough).
Is This metal cocoon what contributes to road rage a secluded environment that one has been detached from reality a feels they are in there own universe. As a biker you maneuver a reality that is hostile a life-threatening, but what would happen if more people road bike leafing there metal armor behind could the roads be more friendly. there is not that large metal buckler to hide behind giving one a false sense of bravado. I would like to think that people would be a little more considerate.
